Where can I find Tennessee's adoption statutes?

You'll find Tennessee's adoption statutes in Tennessee Code Annotated Title 36, Chapter 1, which governs stepparent adoption in the state. You can look up each section by its number in the Tennessee Code, and the Chancery or Circuit Court clerk in your county can also point you to the current text.

The sections most stepparents look at:

• Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-115: who may petition and the residency rule. Tennessee sets no minimum residency period.
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-113: the grounds for ending a parent's rights, including the 4-month abandonment period.
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-117: consent to adoption, including the child's consent at age 14 and older.
• § 36-1-102: the definitions section, useful for seeing how the chapter uses key terms.
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-116: the home study. It is waived for stepparent adoptions.

Where your case is filed: Tennessee stepparent adoptions are filed in Chancery or Circuit Court, and Tennessee has 95 counties. The court filing fee typically falls between $150 and $350, and the total cost is typically under $1,000. A stepparent adoption usually takes about 3-6 months.

Reading the statutes: The statutes are written for lawyers, and a section can depend on definitions or cross-references elsewhere in the chapter. Some situations turn on specific facts, such as a parent who cannot be located, or one who contests the adoption. Tennessee allows service by publication when you can't locate the other parent after a diligent search, but whether that fits your situation is something to confirm with the court clerk or an attorney. The same goes for any point not listed above.

Other things the statutes touch on:

• Tennessee doesn't set a minimum length of marriage, though courts generally prefer to see a stable relationship.
• Adult adoption is also covered by Title 36, Chapter 1. An adult may be adopted, and the person being adopted gives sworn, written consent.

How we help: StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your Tennessee county. You then file it yourself, without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child (or for one adult adoptee) and $99 for each additional child. Court-ready documents are delivered within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We've helped 967 Tennessee families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001. You don't need to study the statutes yourself, but the section numbers above are there if you want to read them.